


Viscaria

by ghoulaesthetics (astraielle)



Series: tumblr prompts [15]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: F/F, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-06
Updated: 2017-10-06
Packaged: 2019-01-09 20:42:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12284040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astraielle/pseuds/ghoulaesthetics
Summary: “I find it hard to believe that you’ve never danced before, Commander.”Miranda was making fun of her, and she knew it. “Didn’t really feel like doing much dancing after I watched my parents get slaughtered. More important physical things to focus on–like throwing a punch, for example,” she groused.





	Viscaria

**Author's Note:**

> prompt was 'dance with me' , thanks again galpalaven <3

“I find it hard to believe that you’ve never danced before, Commander.” 

Miranda was making fun of her, and she knew it. “Didn’t really feel like doing much dancing after I watched my parents get slaughtered. More important physical things to focus on–like throwing a punch, for example,” she groused. 

Miranda was nonplussed. She was already too used to Lee’s use of tragedy for shock value to deflect subjects she didn’t feel like answering. “Well, no, but maybe before–you were a teenager then, don’t tell me there wasn’t at least one embarrassing school dance in there  _somewhere_.” 

They were enjoying an uncharacteristic moment of peace, waiting on Cerberus intel to receive their next moves. While Shepard had wanted to spend it on the training deck or tweaking her tech for the field, Miranda had instead pulled her to her Captain’s quarters. Blinks of rest were going to become very scarce very soon, and as far as she was concerned, they needed all they could get before that came to pass. Not that Shepard’s body couldn’t take the punishment and stress–not only had she been built to, but even before that she’d been a near-perfect soldier. If she’d had it her way, Lee would have kept going without break for her entire career, and her employment by Cerberus made no difference. 

Miranda was more concerned about her mental state for precisely that reason, which is why it was extra difficult to draw her away from her work. Shepard was incredibly well versed in digging her heels into the dirt when she didn’t want to do something. It’d taken her nearly three hours to allow herself to be dragged up here. 

Miranda had draped herself across Shepard’s back, who was sitting upright at her desk. Her arms wrapped around her shoulders, chin balanced in the crook of her neck. She watched the screen of the datapad in her hands, numbers and specs flying across the screen. 

“This isn’t taking a break, Shepard,” she accused. 

“Yes it is,” she said flatly, watching her out of the corner of her eye. “I  _like_  looking at this sort of thing.”

“Those are specs for your battle drone,” she pointed out, tightening her hold slightly. “You know, the drone you use on the field, where you work.” Sighing deeply, she could tell that this was going to take more than gentle nudging. Lee was stubborn, but so was she. 

“Come on,” she said, straightening up, moving her hands onto each shoulder. “You never answered my question about the dance.” 

Lee rolled her eyes. “Sure there was at least one. I was twelve. But I don’t really see how that’s relevant to right  _now_.” 

“Nothing else?” She asked sceptically. “That was the only time?”

“Yes, Miranda,” she replied tersely. “That was the only time I was ever forced to dance anywhere.”

“Did you like it?” 

She thought for a second. “Don’t really remember,” she eventually said, eyes still glued on her datapad. “It was too long ago, and I don’t think it made that much of an impression on me. If I had to guess, I probably didn’t.”

She scoffed. “What makes you say that?”

“Because,” she said as if stating the obvious, “my thing was bugs, not dancing. They don’t exactly go hand in hand.” 

She watched Shepard’s back carefully, chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully. There had to be some way she could pull her into relaxing for just a few moments like a normal person, some angle she could exploit that wasn’t just small talk about her past–

 _Oh._  Now there was an idea. 

“I wouldn’t know,” she said innocently enough, moving deceptively casually around the room until she hovered near the speaker system. “It’s not like my Father ever let me attend formative life events like that. Too common, I suppose,” she sighed, mockingly wistful for something she, in truth, had never given a second thought to. Most people didn’t look back on preteen dances with envy at this point in their lives, after all. 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shepard’s hands stop over the datapad.  _There we go_ , she thought with a small, triumphant smile. Shepard could act as hard as she wanted to, but she had a secret soft spot for kids who’d been robbed of their childhoods for whatever reason, no doubt because her own had been so cruelly ripped away. This apparently also extended towards grown adults with ulterior motives for Shepard’s wellbeing and a pair of convincingly sad eyes. 

“That’s… unfortunate,” she said carefully, probably onto Miranda’s game but still dangerously close to playing into it regardless. 

“It is,” she sighed dramatically. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think it’s something I’ve ever had the chance to try–nor will I, with the whole Collector business going on.” 

She could see Shepard’s resolve breaking down, slowly, as she considered the options. She could stick to her guns and stubbornly sit at the desk while Miranda waxed poetic about stolen experiences behind her (and she could go on for hours if need be, she was good at bullshitting like that). Or, she could give in and follow what her girlfriend was obviously egging her into doing.

With a considerable amount of grumbling, Lee rose from the desk, hands flat on the table and still turned away from Miranda. 

“…Fine.”

“Fine what?” Fake confusion coloured her voice, barely masking the glee underneath. 

“ _Fine,_  you got me,” she chuckled grimly. “Turn on the damn speakers, Lawson. I’ll give you your awful dance.” 

She grinned triumphantly at her. “Now that’s what I like to hear.” 

“Mhm, I bet.”

“Oh, come on,” she said, selecting a song with an appropriate tempo, “it’ll be fun. Come here.” 

Shepard let herself get swept up in Miranda’s arms, letting her one hand be guided onto her shoulder and the other held up at a comfortable level. Miranda nestled her other hand onto Shepard's waist and drew her in close, chest to chest and nearly eye level. 

“I thought you’d said you’d never done this before,” she said suspiciously, eyeing the sure placement of their bodies that she’d let herself get placed in. 

“Oh, I haven’t,” she said breezily, “I’ve never  _been_  to a dance before, but I never said I didn’t know how to,” she smirked. 

Lee scowled. “I’m going to end you when this is done,” she muttered as they began to sway to the music.

“Oh, please. Dance with me. And try to enjoy it.”  

“You’re an asshole,” she grinned, tilting her head down to kiss her once, smiling in spite of herself. Miranda was right. This was pleasant. 

“I am,” she quipped, “and you love it.” 

Lee was inclined to agree. 


End file.
